God's Prophetic People - A People of Passion, Purpose And Power

God's Prophetic People

aids during this time in biblical history were: elaborate worship rituals, priests having to wear specific garments for certain functions, precise methods, certain ways in offering different sacrifices, specific days for fasting or feasting, voluntary holy days and compulsory convocations. Many of the people of Israel continued to keep the rituals of blood sacrifices and the like, yet their hearts were far from God. Many of Israelites continued these in their own homes under the leadership of the father who was acting as the priest of their home. In his book, David Worshiped a Living God , Judson Cornwall says, “Separated from a priesthood, a specific place of worship and the law of God, except as proclaimed by the occasional prophet in the land, the worship of Israel in those days lacked a personal involvement with God. The emphasis was u pon the act of worship rather than the one worshiped.” 1 David, a shepherd boy, learned to worship God on the hills surrounding Jerusalem and Judea — without ritual. David learned to worship God from his heart, and in so doing developed a relationship with his God. His focus was not so much where he worshiped but who he worshiped. David learned to enjoy God’s presence on a regular basis. Later on, one of David’s main passions was to bring the Ark of God— symbolizing God’s presence— into the center of the religious and political arena so all people could experience God’s presence and worship Him from their hearts. David introduced the use of musical instruments in the worship of Jehovah God. He reinstated the Levitical priesthood and arranged several hundred into musical divisions, forming choirs and orchestras. David embraced the ritual of sacrifices unto God. He also enlarged the nation’s worship experience with rejoicing in song and dance and placed reality into their ritual by teaching God’s people that worship was a deliberate celebration and loving response to a living and loving God.

82

A People of Passion, Purpose, and Power / © Brian Daehn